Birthday of Imagination

It was one of those crappy days in which Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez didn't want to talk to anybody. He had specifically instructed his secretary to not let anybody in and to not pass him any calls. Because he seriously wasn't in the fucking mood to deal with it.

He half expected his old buddies to come by any minute and barge into his office, blabbering about going out for some drinks and whatnot. It was, after all, his birthday. But he really didn't feel like doing anything at all. Today just sucked like that. So he just hoped they wouldn't come around, because he knew how hard it was to get rid of them. They could be fun to hang out with, but they could also be a total pain in the ass when you just wanted them to disappear.

Grimmjow read through some documents he was supposed to turn in tomorrow, but he was too annoyed for no apparent reason, so he just put them away, thinking of a good excuse to leave the office early and go back home. He wasn't being of any use like this anyway.

He was about to call his secretary and tell her to ask the boss if he could leave early when a lanky black-haired man barged into his office.

"Yo, Kitty cat. Enjoyin' yer special day?"

The blue-haired man grunted. This was exactly the kind of visit he'd been trying to avoid.

"Didn't Menoly at least try to stop ya? I told her I didn't want visitors today."

"Yeah… now that ya mention it, I think she said sumthin' like tha', but I wasn't payin' attention. Wha's with the grumpiness anyway? 'S yer birthday dude, chill out! Ya should be out there getting' drunk 'n raidin' strip clubs."

Grimmjow sighed. It was kind of tempting, hanging out with his old friend, Nnoitra Gilga, drinking himself stupid, maybe playing some pranks on passersby (though perhaps he was a bit too old for that). But he still had that dark mood that was following him since the morning, and he had better plans for his birthday (or so he hoped).

"Ya know I haven't been to any strip club in a long time, man, that's not my style. 'Sides, I'm not really in the mood for hangin' out today."

Nnoitra furrowed his brows in annoyance.

"Aww, c'mon man! How can ya be such a party pooper on yer own birthday?"

"And what's with ya wantin' to celebrate it so badly? How did ya even remember it, for starters? Ya hardly remember my last name."

"Tch, not even yer mom'd remember yer fuckin' last name. Or yer first name, for that matter. 'M sure ya misspell them all the time too."

Grimmjow quirked his eyebrow seeing how his friend had completely avoided his question, but decided not to press the matter any further.

"Whatever, I already toldja I'm not feeling like celebratin' shit today. Maybe next week."

Surprisingly, Nnoitra grinned and stood up from his chair, walking around the desk to meet face to face with the blue-haired man.

"Oooh? And why's that? Whatever happened to poor little Kitty cat that got 'im so mad, huh? Did yer bitch ferget yer birthday?"

Grimmjow looked away in embarrassment. There was no way he was going to admit that what got him so moody was that his beloved had seemingly forgotten about today. His partner had gone about the usual routine and left for work without even wishing him a happy birthday. Seriously, he didn't want a big party or any special gift, all he was asking for was a birthday kiss from his lover, was that too much to ask?

Nnoitra laughed histerically.

"No way, dude! So ya really got all cranky just 'cos yer bitch didn't remember 'bout today? Poor little Kitty cat! And to think we used to set cars on fire, man! 'n now yer cryin' 'cos ya didn't get a big birthday cake! 'm gonna hafta call you 'whiny bitch' now!"

"Sh-Shaddap!" Grimmjow's face turned beet red and he threw a stapler at his friend, which he dodged.

"Chill out, dude, ya could've hurt me with tha'. 'm just teasin' ya, dun' gotta get so upset 'bout it. 'Sides, who needs bitches when ya got awesome friends like me?" He pointed at himself with his right thumb as he revealed the flat, rectangular box he was carrying in his left hand. "See? I gotcha a present! 'n I'm sure ya gonna love it too."

Grimmjow took the box and opened it, trying not to appear too eager. This was Nnoitra after all, the man would make fun of him at any given chance (so much for his best friend). When he finally revealed the item contained in the box, his sapphire eyes widened and a slight blush appeared on his face, his expression slowly morphing to a lecherous grin.

"No way, man. You really are the best."

"Toldja so."

The blue-haired man's eyes roamed over his present, his grin growing wider by the minute, and having to control himself not to jump in excitement.

"But do you really think… I mean… I'm so gonna get my ass kicked for this…"

"Oi, it's yer birthday, it's yer right t' make some special requests."

Grimmjow looked up from the box still containing the present to meet his friend's gaze with a childish grin plastered all over his face.

"Thanks a lot, man. Let's go get some drinks tomorrow, like in the old times."

"Yeah, whatever, don't get all chick-mode on me. But ya gotta promise yer gonna use mah present t'day."

Outside, Menoly Mallia, Grimmjow's secretary, heard a pair of roaring laughters coming from his superior's office. She shook her head in disaproval and sighed, hoping that the unexpected visitor would not reawaken the teenage vandal sleeping deep down inside her boss. She had heard rumors about it and she didn't want to report broken glasses or obscene graffitti.

Grimmjow walked through the door of his small house and threw his coat away without really thinking about it. He would be chastised about it later, but he didn't really care right now. He glanced at the box, where Nnoitra's present had been neatly rewrapped (or as neatly as two not-so-patient guys could wrap a present) and sighed. The house was silent, there seemed to be nobody home yet.

A soft purring sound came from the coach, and he saw his gray cat walking towards him, its blue eyes looking at him with expectation. Grimmjow kneeled down to stroke the animal's soft fur.

"Well, at least you seem to remember that today is a special day, huh?"

"Grimmjow?"

The man's sapphire eyes widened when he heard the voice coming from the kitchen, and he rushed to meet the owner of that voice. His heart lept when he met the beautiful eyes that had charmed him since the first time he had seen them. It had been almost twelve years and he still had the same feeling of falling in love all over again every time he saw Ulquiorra Cifer's emerald eyes.

"You are staring. Though I do not know why it still surprises me. Or how do you not notice it." His lover commented, giving him a short peck on the lips.

"Am not! I was just… thinking! I was wonderin' why you were home so early. I thought you'd be working til' late today."

"There was a problem with the electricity, the company said they would not be able to fix it before tomorrow, so everyone was sent home."

Ulquiorra looked really adorable in that green apron. And quite ravishable too. But he still seemed oblivious about today. Grimmjow had never forgotten Ulquiorra's birthday. He was not a man who specialized in big surprises or fantastic gifts, but he always tried his best to make everything perfect for his lover on that special day. And he didn't ask much from the man he loved either. He really only wanted the one thing Ulquiorra had given him consistently on his birthday ever since they had started dating: a kiss and a 'happy birthday'. That and lots of 'birthday sex' was all he needed for his birthday, and so far, he had gotten none.

"Could you help me take these to the dining room? I'll make us something to eat in a minute." His raven-haired lover asked, almost shouting out the initial request, his voice echoing in the hallway, as he handed him a pair of glasses and a bottle of wine.

"Sure, but why are you yellin'?"

"I did no such thing."

"Right…"

There was no point in arguing with Ulquiorra, so Grimmjow just walked to the dining room, his lover following closely behind silently. He sighed. This was definitely not how he had expected to spend his birthday, he thought bitterly as he set foot in the dining room.

"SURPRISE!"

Grimmjow yelped, and he would have dropped the items he was carrying if Ulquiorra hadn't held both of his hands from behind. The blue-haired man had been about to jump out of his skin when a pair of tiny bodies appeared out of nowhere jumping and beaming, big smiles drawn on their childish faces.

"Happy birthday Daddy!" the children beamed once again, running around the dining room, clapping happily, and giving Grimmjow a chance to notice the balloons and streamers decorating the room, the colorful tablecloth and the big cake with a suspicious blue frosting (he would not dare ask what it was made of) covering the table.

The children finished their running around and came back to hug him, two pairs of little arms surrounding his waist. Grimmjow smiled and ruffled their hair lovingly.

"Daddy, daddy! Look! We got you presents!" his six-year-old daughter beamed, her green eyes gleaming excitedly as she handed a bright blue box to him.

He unwrapped the present to find a blue hand-made wool scarf. He could see that the crafting was slightly sloppy, but he still found it adorable.

"Ya did this on yer own?"

The little girl nodded. "Daddy helped me a little… uhm, he helped me a lot…" she trailed off, blushing. "I just thought that you always say how much you hate cold, so I wanted to help…"

Grimmjow smiled and kissed the top of her raven-colored head. "Thanks a lot, honey. It's awesome. I'll wear it all the time in winter."

His three-year-old son, the child that so many people said to be a tiny replica of Grimmjow himself, extended his short arms towards his father, holding a piece of paper in his hands, with a happy grin on his innocent face.

"I drew this, daddy!" he wailed excitedly.

The man took his son's drawing and looked at it, his smile growing by the minute. It depicted their own family with as much artistry as a three-year-old could demonstrate, all of them holding hands and smiling happily. It had bright colors and a big yellow sun above them, in the blue sky. A perfect scenery. And Grimmjow couldn't agree more with the child's interpretation, because really, he couldn't ask for anything else in his life. He kneeled down to be at eye-level with the kid and pinch his nose affectionately, making him giggle.

"Mind if I take this masterpiece to the office? I want everyone to know that my son is such a great artist, they'll be so jealous!"

The boy nodded and giggled again happily. Grimmjow smirked and pulled both of his children into a tight hug. He really couldn't ask for anything else.

"Kids, could you please go to the kitchen and bring those special dishes you wanted to use for today?" Ulquiorra asked, speaking for the first time since they came into the room. The kids just nodded and did as they were told, the cheerful grins still plastered on their faces.

"Just so you know, this was all their idea, I am simply helping them because they asked me to." He commented, hugging Grimmjow from behind and resting his chin on his lover's shoulder.

"Figures. Never been like ya, the surprise party thing. Or any party whatsoever. But thanks, it's really… cute." Grimmjow leaned back, searching, yearning for more contact, for more of that warmth.

"Like I said, you should not thank me. You could say they just hired my services to prepare this little party for you. They were really excited about it too, they really wanted to make you happy with it."

The sapphire-eyed man smiled. "And they really did. I couldn't be happier now… they're awesome kids."

Ulquiorra nuzzled Grimmjow's neck and placed a shower of soft kisses against tan skin.

"Indeed, they are. And very smart too. They even made me act like I had forgotten about your birthday. Surely that did not trouble you, though?"

He smirked for he knew otherwise. Oh, he knew the psychological torture his beloved had suffered. He had enjoyed the bewildered look in those blue eyes when he had left without saying a word that morning, and he had felt guilty too, and there was some sweet pleasure in that contradiction. But he would make it up to Grimmjow, that was for sure.

"Asshole. Ya tortured me on purpose. 'n ya enjoyed every fuckin' second of it, didn'tcha? I'm so gettin' back at ya for this."

The sapphire-eyed man turned around to meet his lover face to face, and lifted a tan hand to cup the other's pale chin, making him lift his face. He leaned in, his lips barely an inch away from Ulquiorra's ear.

"'n talkin' 'bout payback… Nnoitra just dropped by the office 'n gave me this awesome present… If ya'd just wear it for tonight I'd reaaally forgive you for messin' with my head like that."

He felt his lover smirk slightly.

"Really? Well, that is quite fitting. As it is, I was planning to give you a present… not very suited for underage audiences…"

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Sexta Espada in Sosuke Aizen's army, woke up the morning of his birthday, July 31st, slightly puzzled and with scarce memories of what had happened the previous night.

Oh right, Nnoitra threw me a party, he thought to himself, the pain of the hangover striking him with the sunlight.

Suddenly, bits and images of a strange dream he'd had started to reappear in his mind. Visions of a human, mundane life, kids and a childish party came back to him one by one. Such a weird dream, indeed. He was so not drinking that shit again.

He turned on his side and was startled to meet with a pair of deep, mesmerizing emerald eyes staring back into his own. He nearly squeaked, but that would have been unmanly, so he just jumped to a sitting position, the thin sheet revealing his naked chest.

"O-oi! Whatcha doin'?"

Ulquiorra rose on his right elbow, his cheek resting delicately on his palm.

"So far, watching you sleep and waiting for you to wake up."

"That's creepy! 'Sides, aren'tcha the one that's always 'you should not be oversleeping, you have a lot of duties", and waking me up early every day?"

The Cuatro Espada would have rolled his eyes, but that was beneath him. He knew Grimmjow was not a morning person, and he had already learned to be patient with his wild lover. Instead, he simply silenced the babbling blue-haired Arrancar with his index finger, gazing at him intently.

"As I said, I was waiting for you to wake up."

He cupped Grimmjow's tan cheek and leaned in swiftly to meet the man's lips in a sweet loving kiss. Before his partner had time to react, he stepped back and stood up from the bed, picking up his clothes which were scattered all over the room and getting dressed quickly. When he was standing by the door, right about to leave for his routinary duties, he looked back at the still dumbfounded panther, and a small smile appeared on his lips.

"Happy Birthday, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow smiled. Yeah, this birthday was quite perfect already.

The End

I wrote this for Grimmjow's birthday last year, but I'm not going to keep it stacked in the depth of my drive until kingdom come waiting for July again, so I decided to publish it now, after uploading Ulqui's b-day fic.

I don't know if the main idea was clear enough, I hope it was (it sucks having to explain yourself, makes me feel like an absolute failure in life).

I think my favorite part was Nnoitra's part. I always love having Nnoitra and Grimm being buddy-buddy, I think in one way or another I always end up using him in my stories (or Szayel… or both).

I hope you enjoy it, I always love and appreciate reviews, they make me happy!